The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) says that on August 18, 2016, a GPL team with assistance from a team of submarine cable experts from China retrieved GPL’s submarine cable from the Demerara river bed to assess the damage to it and a repair plan has been worked out.
GPL in a release yesterday said that it had conducted a comprehensive test on the cable subsequent to a total shutdown on July 12 which was attributed to faulty insulation at the connection or “Pot Head” linking the 69KV submarine cable to the overhead transmission lines at Kingston.
Preliminary distance readings obtained from the protective devices at the substations at Kingston and Vreed-en-Hoop concluded that the tests indicated damage to the cable.
Having evaluated the degree of damage the submarine cable experts have since recommended removal of the section of the damaged cable and jointing of the cable using a special submarine cable jointing kit which GPL is currently pursuing.
In the interim the Company has confirmed that there is sufficient capacity within East Demerara and Berbice to meet the electricity demands of its customers.
